Gain
by bloody bint
Summary: "I know the pain of loss. You and I haven't really been fortunate, it's true. But it could be worse for me and for you, too… we've found good friends, haven't we? Because of your losses, you should understand." How Kakashi came to understand through someone else's loss and how it became his own. [pre-series, pre-ship Kakashi/OFC]
1. of a copycat and a missing cat

**A/N: **Q: How long would it really take to get close to someone who's lost everyone they've ever cared about to the point of significant mutual trust and the development a romantic relationship?

A: A pretty long-ass while.

This is how an OC-centric (eventual) Kakashi/OC fanfic should be done. I have read (or tried to and have given up), over the years, many poorly-written or irritatingly mediocre Kaka/OC fics. This is my attempt at a well-written one with _in-character_ reactions/interactions.

So, here's the rewrite of _I Swear_, retitled as _Gain_. It is six years pre-series and focuses on the older generation, who I completely adore. The first couple of chapters are a bit haphazard in trying to establish the setting but shit gets solid and serious. Kakashi's POV is introduced in Chapter II and gradually becomes more prevalent. You'll see.

I must also apologise profusely to my readers who've had to suffer through my various story changes. I am so, so sorry but I am so glad that you're still here with me.

Please read, enjoy and review. Reviews make me terribly happy.

* * *

**Gain**

**Chapter I.  
of a Copycat and a Missing Cat**

* * *

With a kunai still lodged in her left shoulder, Kazeko limped up the stairs, almost tripping over her own feet in the darkness. Grabbing hold of the handrail for support, she winced and cursed at the pain, lifting a hand up to gingerly touch the surrounding area of the stab wound. Oh, the joys of being a kunoichi. Finally reaching her former teammate's front door, she pounded on it with her fist.

"Oi, Shinichi!" she called out loudly, ignoring the fact that it was two o'clock in the morning and that he and his neighbours were most likely asleep. "In need of medical assistance here!"

Footsteps. The light inside switched on and the door swung open to reveal Shinichi in his pyjamas with an unkempt shock of platinum blond hair, rubbing his drowsy eyes. A rather familiar sight to Kazeko by now, as sepia memories wound their way into her mind of crashing at her teammates' places after exhausting missions. Suchlike this occurrence.

"Why can't you just go to the hospital?" Shinichi sighed resignedly, stepping aside to let her in.

"Because your bedside manner is lovely," Kazeko chirped with mock sweetness but her expression was betrayed by a pained hiss.

Ushering her over to his couch, he sat her down and examined the injury with a professional gaze.

"Some bastard rain nin got me," she gritted her teeth. "I could've ripped the fucker a new asshole."

She watched Shinichi as he carefully brushed his fingers around the area. He gave her a warm smile as he noticed her looking and she smiled back, despite the pain in her shoulder.

"It's a good thing you didn't pull it out," he walked off and returned with gloved hands and a washing tub filled with water and wet towels.

"Okay, brace yourself. It's in pretty deep. On the count of three…"

Kazeko held her breath, waiting for the pain to come.

"One... two… three!"

"Fuck!" she hissed, gritting her teeth as he dislodged the blade from her shoulder.

Shinichi stanched the wound with a wet towel and handed the kunoichi a small red pill.

"Blood replenishing. Take it."

Kazeko bit down on it before swallowing on doctor's orders.

Green chakra illuminated from his palms hovering over her shoulder. A soothing tingling sensation passed through her shoulder before fading when the glowing ceased.

"It's going to scar for a while but it'll fade with time," her personal medic nin said, wiping away excess blood.

"Ah, yet another addition to my collection," she reached to gingerly touch the remaining scar, tracing the uneven flesh with a finger before looking at her former teammate.

"Thanks again, 'Ichi. I'm gonna stick with the usual routine and pass out now."

He chuckled knowingly. "Of course."

As soon as she'd settled into her borrowed pillow and blanket, Kazeko immediately drifted off to sleep on Shinichi's couch out of sheer exhaustion.

* * *

Kazeko's modest studio apartment was still unfamiliar to her. It was more of a living arrangement than like a comforting home. She had vowed to move out of her parents' house after becoming a jounin and here she was, livin' the dream, or more like what was a relentlessly cold reality as she had so quickly discovered after being promoted.

The many souvenirs from her A-ranked missions that her body carried reflected back at her in the mirror. Kazeko sighed at the unattractive sight and slipped her shirt back on again. Well, at least scars showed character.

It was quiet. The faint chirping of birds was audible from outside the window.

After showering, she decided to go out for a jog to the training grounds. The crisp morning air nipped at her bare arms and legs. Kazeko shivered slightly as she locked the front door, keys jingling before pocketing them.

Her neighbour's door then swung open and out stepped a masked grey-haired ninja. Damn, must be an old-timer. He was lucky to have lived to such an age in this profession. She observed him curiously and was surprised at the sight of a young, albeit mostly obscured face when he turned around. Noticing the lop-sided headband covering his left eye and her mind clicked in recognition.

"Hatake Kakashi?"

He paused and faced her. "That's my name."

Kazeko smiled, slightly humbled in the presence of such a legendary and accomplished shinobi. "So, we're neighbours, huh?"

"It appears to be that way."

"I'm Morino Kazeko," she introduced herself.

Kakashi blinked with his visible eye. "Morino…? Are you related to Morino Ibiki by any chance?"

"Yep, I'm his sister! I get that reaction a lot, we're pretty different people."

The image of her towering and threatening figure of an older brother standing next to her, of cheerful disposition, appeared in her head and she held back a giggle.

He scrutinised her for a few seconds while she tried to keep a straight face. "I see. Well, I've got places to go. It was nice meeting you, Morino-san."

Kakashi abruptly turned and body flickered away in a puff of smoke.

Kazeko set off in a paced jog as thoughts of her encounter with Hatake Kakashi, _the_ Copy (heh, Copycat) Ninja as her new neighbour raced through her mind. The other third of her genin team, Zuru, had recounted several stories of the famous shinobi as his ANBU captain. "Hatake-taichou", he'd called him. However, this regaling of classified ANBU missions was often done whilst Zuru was incredibly drunk, temporarily forgoing the fact that such aforementioned missions were classified.

Kazeko laughed aloud at this thought and continued her way towards the training grounds. Her senses spiked up in alert, picking up a cutting chakra coming straight for her.  
_Shit, wind release? That must be…!_

Mind springing into action, Kazeko instinctively performed a set of hand seals. "Wind Release: Deflection barrier!"

A wall of wind chakra surrounded her, immediately dissipating the opponent's gale before sending it straight back at her dark-haired opponent who deftly sliced the counterattacking gale apart.

"Sorry about that!" a familiar honey-over-gravel voice called out.

Forgetting the messy state of her hair and how she almost could have almost been sliced in half, a beam split Kazeko's face as she was met with the sight of none other than her kindred spirit in nature transformation.

Kazeko released her wind barrier. "Morning, Asuma-senpai! You're back from your mission already?" she said cheerfully.

He was still alive. That instant rush of relief flooded over her, whenever a friend of hers returned from a mission still standing. That was all that mattered. Kazeko had long ago learned to push aside the constant fear and paranoia of losing those who were close to her, a necessity in this line of work but the reassurance of their safe return reminded her of the very real possibility of a completely different scenario.

"Didn't I tell you to quit it with the 'senpai' thing? Makes me feel too much older," Asuma grumbled before lighting a cigarette.

"Yeah, but 'Asuma-san' sounds too formal and 'Asuma-kun' just sounds weird, like a shoujo manga weird."

He grinned, blowing out a puff of wispy smoke. "Then just drop the honorifics, Kazeko."

"Fine, then… Asuma." she mumbled, avoiding eye-contact.

Flustered, Kazeko patted down her hair and changed the subject. "Are you growing out a beard now?"

"Yeah," Asuma stroked his stubbled chin.

"It looks good on you," she blushed, wondering how it'd feel against her own face as his lips brushed hers with the feel of his hair in-between her fingers and…

This schoolgirl crush was getting ridiculous.

He grinned and made a bird seal before playfully flicking a gust of wind-infused chakra at her.

Kazeko gawked. "HEY! That could've easily sliced my face open, you idiot!"

"It's all about control."

For the rest of the morning, they traded wind jutsu and sparred against one another. Asuma was always the victor, though, with his age and experience. Kazeko couldn't deny that as a shinobi, he was also more skilled than she was, particularly being the Hokage's son. The topic of his father was rarely touched upon, however, as she knew they'd had a falling out a year ago and their relationship had become strained since then.

"You've gotten better," said Asuma, expertly sundering Kazeko's blades of wind chakra with his own trench knives.

Panting, the kunoichi sidestepped as a condensed lash of chakra whistled past her.

"Goddamn, that would've hurt!" she exclaimed, wiping the sweat off her brow before preparing for his next move.

To her disappointment, Asuma suddenly broke his combat stance and began to stretch.

"Wait, what are you doing?" she pouted.

"I'm hungry," he said, taking off his chakra blades and reaching for his pack of smokes. "It's lunchtime already. You're welcome to join me if you want."

"Nah, sorry, I've got other plans," Kazeko sighed and sat down on the grassy field, regaining her breath. "Some other time?"

"Alright, then. See you later."

Kazeko watched Asuma's retreating form before lying down and staring up at the sky, clutching fistfuls of grass. Closing her eyes, she inhaled and listened to her surroundings, immersing herself in the subtle sounds. An indeterminable amount of time passed before she finally got up and started to walk towards the Memorial Stone.

She didn't know what compelled her to visit her sensei today. It had been two months since her sensei's death and the day her former genin team had received the news was still fresh in her mind. Shinichi had burst into tears in front of the Hokage while Zuru and she remained shocked into disbelief. The rest of the week was spent in bereavement for all three of them, although Shinichi refused to come out of his house and see anyone.

"Hatake-san?"

Kakashi turned around to face Kazeko who wore a look of bewilderment.

"You again," he said.

"You again," she echoed.

They both stood facing each other in silence, unsure of what to say.

Wordlessly, she joined him at his side and scanned the monument, searching for her sensei before finally reaching it amidst the many others:

_Karasuno Higure_

Kazeko didn't take her gaze off of his name and imprinted it into her mind. All of it came rushing back like a crashing wave.

"Who was he?"

The sudden voice interrupted her reverie as she was snapped back into reality.

"My sensei," she replied.

They said nothing else for the entirety of their visit until Kazeko's stomach let out an unhappy grumble.

She laughed softly, "Well, I think it's officially lunchtime," and gestured her head, signalling for them to take their leave. "Wanna get some lunch with me?"

It was only after Kakashi's unvoiced hesitation did Kazeko realise the implications of her invitation.

Oh shit, he thought she was asking him out. Dammit, this awkwardness was killing her.

"Erm, I mean, Hatake-san—… ah, shit, I didn't mean that as, err… FUCK! I'm sorry!" she cried out in frustration, mentally kicking herself.

"You've got a colourful vocabulary," Kakashi said dryly.

Kazeko ducked her head, "Yeah, yeah, I know I swear a lot…" she mumbled. "But what I meant to say was that I didn't mean it as a date, you know… I meant it as a friendly, _platonic_ invitation to lunch between two neighbours."

"Yeah, I know what you meant," he smirked, or at least she knew he was smirking underneath that mask of his. "Thanks for the invite but sorry, I've got other things to do."

"Oh, that's okay," she tried to hide the tone of… mild disappointment in her voice. "I'll see you around, then."

Kakashi waved half-heartedly before abruptly disappearing again, leaving a cloud of grey smoke behind.

When she was left alone and was completely certain that he was out of earshot, Kazeko growled and petulantly kicked at loose dirt on the ground.

"Yeah, right. 'Other things to do,' my ass, that stupid dick!"

* * *

"Kazeko."

_...violent shaking, hmm, must either be an earthquake or Ibiki trying to kill me._

"Kazeko, wake up!"

She guessed the latter.

"I'm up, I'm up!" she snapped, smacking her brother's hands away.

Still groggy and half-asleep, she yawned and rubbed her drowsy eyes.

"Jesus, I feel sorry for whoever's gonna have to wake up to your freakish face every morning," she snarked.

"My sympathies go to your future partner who must tolerate your _delightful_ personality," Ibiki sarcastically retorted.

Rolling her eyes, Kazeko read the time displayed on her alarm clock and let out a shriek.

"You could've told me you'd be over here at the crack of dawn, you prick!"

"My mission starts in nine minutes," Ibiki stated placidly, handing her a purring snowy feline. "Do I have to go over the instructions again?"

She shook her head defiantly, not wanting to go through another of his longwinded rants concerning his precious little pet.

"Alright, then. Take care of Takara for me. I'll see you in a month, imouto-chan."

He patted her head in a brotherly manner before turning his back and proceeding to walk out her bedroom door.

"Wait!" Kazeko called out, while Takara nuzzled against her hand. "Don't die or I'll kill you myself, you great big teddy bear." Her voice softened at the last words.

He stopped, grinned, "Like I said, see you in a month," and casually resumed walking. "And don't ever call me that again."

…he would be fine. Ibiki was "one scaryass motherfucker", as Zuru had so eloquently put it. Her intimidating brother was also the reason why she had such trouble getting boyfriends, dammit.

Although Ibiki was not the conventional loving and dear older brother and was more like a sadistic and sick bastard who could traumatise a person within a couple of sentences, Kazeko knew she was one of the only people he truly cared about. It was also entertaining to threaten others to sic her brother on them, who was the commanding officer of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Force. That was very fun.

Breathing a sigh, Kazeko lifted the little feline by her underarms. Takara stared at her with her odd-coloured silvery and golden eyes, blinking slowly.

"So, what's it like living with Big Ted?"

_Meow._

"Thought so." Then, she fell asleep again.

Per usual, Kazeko was awoken by her alarm clock at 7AM. Resisting the urge to crush the contraption blaring that offensive sound, she slammed down the snooze button before prying her eyes open to the unwelcoming morning light streaming through the curtains.

Groaning, she yawned tiredly before realisation struck her.

Looking wildly around the room, she called out, "Takara?"

No response.

This was not an unusual occurrence; the cat would disappear on her own accord and Kazeko would eventually find her afterwards in either three hours or in three seconds. Rushing outside her room, Kazeko was deeply relieved to find Takara lapping up water in her bowl.

"Freakin' hell, you should really stop doing that," the kunoichi muttered, yawning again and combing her fingers through her bird's nest of hair.

However, after turning her back for a few minutes, she found that the cat was nowhere in sight.

"Takara, where've you gone now?"

There was no answer, no audible meows or little feline bounding to her feet.

Flustered, Kazeko frantically searched her entire apartment, which wasn't very large at all, considering that it consisted of a single room and an adjacent bathroom. Takara wasn't under the bed, under the covers, behind the bathroom door, reclining on any pieces of furniture, she wasn't hiding in the toilet or the rubbish bin or out on the balcony…

"TAKARA, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, YOU STUPID BITCH?!" Kazeko roared.

Dreading that her brother would definitely inflict on her his genjutsu that caused the victim to experience the agony of being constantly tickled for days (a torture that actually drove people insane), if he came back to a missing cat, Kazeko dashed out of her apartment and began her desperate wild goose chase.

"Takara!" she shrieked to no avail.

Out of desperation, she tried, "Here, kitty, kitty," which earned her odd looks from the locals.

With the sun beating on her back and clothes drenched in sweat, Kazeko gave up on her fruitless search after a few hours. Her feet were aching and she was certain that a few blisters had developed on the soles of her foot.

Sullenly walking up her apartment stairs and wishfully thinking that Takara would turn up by herself eventually, Kazeko was stunned when she was met with the sight of Kakashi holding a fluffy white feline in his hands.

"You found Takara!" she squawked.

Immediately taking the cat in her arms, Kazeko squeezed the poor thing to her chest despite the hisses of protest. She was thankful to have her brother's pet safely back in her care so that Ibiki's extreme tickle torture was no longer held over her head.

"I found her on the stairs," said Kakashi, digging his gloved hands into his pockets.

Kazeko smiled meekly. "Thank you, Copycat."

_Oh, shit._

There was a deathly silence proceeding her slip of the tongue as Takara leapt from Kazeko's arms and fondly paced around Kakashi's feet, purring contentedly.

"Kazeko, was it?" he lowered his voice, eye twitching as he deliberately ignored what had just taken place.

The kunoichi winced but maintained her composure. "Yes, Kakashi?" she responded boldly, addressing him in the same manner on a first name basis without an honorific title.

She was sure that the yobisute was used in an insulting way, though, after her nickname for him had slipped out. _Whoops, my bad._

Takara meowed, interrupting the awkward silence.

"Your brother's the head of the T&I Force, right?" Kakashi ground out.

Kazeko smirked. "Yep, he's the one and only infamous sadist."

"Right. Okay, then."

Without another word, the Copycat curtly walked into his own apartment and slammed the door shut behind him before leaving Kazeko standing in the apartment hallway, snickering quietly to herself.


	2. of novel beginnings

**A/N: **So, I must admit that I've been sidetracked with Christmas, New Years and gaming… but I present to you the second chapter.

Also, if you've watched the anime, you might remember that Ibiki has a younger brother, Idate who was in a filler episode early on in the series. Since Idate only appeared in the anime as a one-off thing (and no one remembers him, anyway), I consider him as not-really canon and so he doesn't exist in this fic. Just wanted to clear that up in case anyone was wondering.

Thank you for the positive feedback in your reviews!

* * *

**Gain**

**Chapter II.  
of Novel Beginnings**

* * *

Kazeko held the orange novel in her hands, trying to maintain a straight face.

She was reading porn in an isle of a bookstore.

She was reading porn in public.

How could the same author of _Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi_, an inspirational, deep and moving story, write something like this?!

Kazeko reasoned with herself. It wasn't exactly porn, per se, the story was actually serious and not too badly-written, it was just seasoned with raunchy sex scenes… but she was an adult already, for god's sake, she was nineteen and—… goddammit, she couldn't shake off the fact that she was still reading porn in public!

"Fancy meeting you here, Morino."

It was Kakashi. Kazeko had been mulling over her new neighbour a lot lately, after they had gotten off on the wrong foot. Being Morino Ibiki's sister, it was only natural for her to possess an innate ability and curiosity to analyse people. Kakashi was a reserved and standoffish person. She wasn't surprised, however, considering his history.

It was a defence mechanism of his fear of getting too close to people to avoid losing them. His father had committed seppuku after being shamed for his failed mission and it was reinforced with the death of Kakashi's sensei, the Yondaime. Not to mention that child prodigies as shinobi would have been exposed to killing and violence at such an early age and anyone would know that that must fuck any toddler up.

Higure-sensei had known Hatake Sakumo as a fellow shinobi. From their sensei's recounting of Sakumo's heroism, despite the failure of his mission, Kazeko's team learned something integral to their survival and mentality: _No man left behind._ Her team watched each others' backs and developed a strong sense of comradeship with one another. Team Higure became renowned for their exemplary teamwork and how well they complemented each others' skills as shinobi in combat. It was rare for a genin team to maintain such a consistent and enduring relationship after all members had achieved the rank of jounin.

While Kazeko had a doting brother and all the friends she could have ever wanted, Kakashi must've been lonely his entire life.

It was then, when Kazeko decided that she wanted to befriend Hatake Kakashi.

She whipped the book behind her back to face the masked shinobi, irritated. Just because she understood why he had to be such an asshole, didn't mean that _he had to be such an asshole_.

"Could you please stop calling me that? It's rude as hell."

"It's not as rude as you calling me that ridiculous nickname," Kakashi grunted.

Kazeko sighed and bowed, "I apologise, Hatake-san. Now, will you quit it with the yobisute?"

He paused, reluctant before finally relenting, "…fine, Morino-san."

"Thank you."

They stood in the aisle for a few moments before Kakashi, surprisingly, struck up a conversation.

"So, what were you reading?" he asked casually.

They were adults, already. And jounin. Oh, what the hell.

Kazeko slowly revealed _Icha Icha Paradise_ from behind her back. Before he could comment about the title, she jumped straight into an explanation.

"It's written by Jiraiya-sama. You know, part of the legendary sannin? Wait, who am I kidding? Of course you know, he was your sensei's sensei," she rambled. "But yeah, this is his new book and I was just checking it out since I'm a fan of his first book, _Legend of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi_. Have you read it?"

At the end of her rant, Kazeko took a large gulp of air.

"…it's porn," Kakashi deadpanned.

"No, it isn't, it's… it's erotica!" she spluttered indignantly.

"Right. Enjoy your 'erotica', then."

"Wait!"

Hurriedly grabbing both of Jiraiya's titles off the shelf while clutching her own copy of the orange book, she went to the cash register and paid before thrusting two of the books in Kakashi's face.

"Here."

The shinobi stared at her in puzzlement. "What?"

"They're yours, as a peace offering. Take them."

Blinking, he took the novels from her hands. "I've already got a first-edition copy of _Gutsy Ninja_ but I'd rather not read it since it's a memento, so… thank you, I guess. Even if you just gifted me porn."

Kazeko laughed, "You're welcome."

* * *

Kakashi had known exactly what that orange book was. Hell, he'd gone to the bookstore to purchase _Icha Icha Paradise_ for himself. His mind wandered back towards memories of his fourteenth birthday. He could smell the savoury aroma of miso soup and steamed eggplant again, his favourite dish. It was a mild autumn day and he was having lunch at Minato-sensei and Kushina-chan's place with the trio sitting around the dining table. Kushina was almost due at eight months into her pregnancy. Kakashi still remembered the fond expression on her face as she looked down at the swell of her stomach, placing a hand upon it before noticing him watching her. Kushina gave him a soft smile.

Minato placed _Legend of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi_ in front of him at the table.

"It's Jiraiya-sensei's first book. Learn from it, Kakashi. It'll do you well," the Yondaime turned to regard his pregnant wife warmly. "I hope that Naruto will live up to his name one day."

They were almost like parents to him.

Returning to a less than happy reality, the Copy Nin wistfully stared at the novels in his hands, still wrapped their new packaging. Morino Kazeko was unaware of the significance of these books to Kakashi and her gesture did not go unappreciated. It was… odd, however, for her to be so nice towards him after he was such a rude bastard to her. Was it really a reconciliatory gift? Or was she—dare he say it—_attracted_ to him?

He hoped it wasn't the latter. That would make things very annoying and he would never dream of crossing Morino Ibiki's little sister. The thoughts of what Ibiki would do to him made him shudder.

Kakashi supposed that it wouldn't be too difficult to avoid her, even if Kazeko was his neighbour. He would feel like a right asshole after she'd gifted him the books, though… maybe it didn't hurt to hope that her gesture was out of genuine kindness. Maybe she just wanted to befriend him. Or maybe he was just that desperate to deny her advances to resort to wishful thinking.

The shinobi sighed. He'd just have to go along with it, then.

* * *

Kazeko disliked their white purity, the smell of antiseptic, the constant beeping of EKGs, the occasional coughs from ill patients and how the atmosphere reeked of disease. People came to the ICU to be given a sentence: life or death. It was, essentially, a purgatory.

Zuru was being held at the Recovery Room after he was stabbed with a sword which had perforated his lung. Shinichi had asked to be assigned to him as his attending medic. After Kazeko learned of her old teammate's hospitalisation, she had rushed to visit him, yelling at Shinichi about why he hadn't informed her until the morning after.

"I didn't want to wake you up. He came in at 4AM, for god's sake. Besides, Zuru's going to be fine," the medical nin had assured her. "Really, he's going to make a full recovery."

Zuru's room looked cramped and bleak, containing only a single bed, an absence of windows and machines that remained unnamed. Kazeko drew up a chair next to his bedside, hands wrenched in worry. He was wearing an oxygen mask hooked to a ventilator to assist with his breathing and he was on an IV drip. Her friend appeared to be resting peacefully as she looked intently at his unconscious figure.

"Kitsune," she said softly.

It was her affectionate nickname for him, after his ANBU codename. Zuru was known for his ambushes and silent kills in his faction. He had always snuck up on his teammates when they were younger, taking much delight in making them piss their pants and setting unsuspecting prankish traps which only reinforced his epithet, 'Fox'. He still retained his habit of catching people on their unawares sometimes, "for shits and giggles."

Zuru's eyes fluttered open and he spoke in a croaky voice, "Thanks for waking me up."

Kazeko grinned in relief and reached to grasp his hand. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

"Feels like somebody's run a sword straight through my chest… oh, wait."

She laughed. Apparently, his biting humour remained intact even in his bedridden state.

"You shouldn't talk too much," she squeezed his hand. "You're still recovering."

"It hurts to breathe," Zuru rasped. "Shit's annoying."

"Hey, guess what?" Kazeko started. "Hatake Kakashi's my new neighbour."

"No fuckin' way."

"Yes fuckin' way."

After some friendly catching up, a nurse appeared and chased Kazeko out, hurling medical jargon at her while she snapped back with skilfully constructed obscenities.

"The patient needs his rest! He's recovering from an almost fatal pulmonary laceration resulting in a pneumothorax! For god's sake, we almost lost him three times—"

"Can you just shut up?!" Zuru shouted, straining his voice. "Ow, FUCK, that hurts!"

The nurse hurried to her patient's bedside.

Taking this as her cue to leave, Kazeko mouthed, "See you later!" and waved to him before departing from the room.

* * *

_Huh…? _Scratching noises.

Kazeko's eyes instantly flew open and her senses instinctively became alert as she grabbed a kunai from underneath her pillow. Was someone trying to break in? She glanced at the clock: 3:58AM.

Creeping out from her bed, she lightly tread on the ground out of her bedroom, careful as to remain silent. The kunoichi's auditory senses pricked, picking up a subtle noise while her eyes darted around wildly, adjusting to the darkness before finally spotting the indistinctive outline of a figure. The corridor was a small space for combat, making it a disadvantage for wide-ranged movement and parrying.

Kazeko flung the kunai at the estimated area of her target, deliberately missing, hoping to spook the perpetrator if they were just an ordinary burglar. A strangled screech followed and she immediately identified it to be Takara's. Reaching for the light switch, Kazeko flicked it on. The cat was sprawled onto the floor, making pitiful mewls while blood red stained snow white which created a somewhat morbid image. The kunai had managed to nick her flank.

The intruder wasn't in sight but Kazeko could sense a moderately weak chakra in the area. They were obviously not a shinobi. It would have been a waste of chakra to use any combative jutsu on such a weak target, so she remained still and listened intently… someone was panting and it was coming from—

A man dashed out from behind a doorframe and headed for the front door. She easily caught on in front of him by body flickering.

_Pant. Pant. Pant._

"That was really fucking stupid of you," Kazeko firmly gripped the collar of his shirt. "Breaking into a jounin's place? What the hell were you thinking?" The burglar trembled defencelessly in her grip.

"P-please d-don't hurt me…" he whimpered, flinching.

She maintained her hold on him. "You realise that I'm gonna throw your ass in jail, right?"

Takara let out a pained hiss from a distance. Shit, she'd forgotten about the cat. Binding the thief with a rope jutsu and gagging him, Kazeko rushed over to her and scooped Takara up in her arms before prying the front door open, hands still full.

Having no other choice, she turned to her neighbour, hoping that Kakashi would know a healing jutsu somewhere in that library of over a thousand copied jutsu of his. She rang his doorbell. No one answered. Pounding her knuckles against the surface Kazeko yelled, "Oi, Hatake-san! Open the door, it's an emergency!"

The door finally flew open and she was left staring at a bleary-eyed and irritated Kakashi, clad only in his mask and navy trousers. He had his scarred Sharingan eye closed to conserve chakra.

_Damn, he has a fine figure. Not as nice as Asuma's, though…_ Kazeko shook the lascivious thoughts out of my head. Now was seriously not the right time.

"I am very sorry for disturbing you at this time of night but—"

He noticed the injured Takara in Kazeko's arms and immediately understood. Promptly taking the mewling cat from her hands, he laid Takara down gently on the floor whilst kneeling and hovered a hand over the wound. Green chakra began to emanate from his palms.

"This will only close up the wound and stop the bleeding. It won't be of much help if any organs are damaged but it'll prevent any major blood loss," Kakashi craned his neck over to her. "What happened?"

"Someone broke into my apartment and… well, this happened," Kazeko explained nervously.

"Were they a shinobi?"

"Nope, just an ordinary thief breaking and entering. He's currently tied up. I need to turn him in," Takara feebly whimpered, interrupting her. She scratched behind the feline's ears and stroked the top of her head out of consolation. "Can you get her to the vet while I take the guy to the police force?"

He nodded. "I guess we're even now, after those books."

Flashing a grateful grin, Kazeko quickly retrieved the intruder, untying a bit of the rope so his legs could move freely. Roughly shoving him forwards while walking towards the police station, she worried over Takara's condition and went through all the possible methods of torture that Ibiki could inflict upon her when he'd return and discover about this incident.

When the delinquent was safely behind bars, Kazeko hurried over to the veterinary clinic. It was deserted at that time of night and Kakashi was nowhere to be seen. The emergency room, however, was busy as lights were visibly switched on and the murmur of voices and various appliances were audible. Not daring to venture in and disturb whatever surgeries were in progress, Kazeko curled up across multiple waiting seats and slept.

A few hours later, she was gently woken up by a vet at what seemed to be dawn, still deprived of sleep and drowsy.

"Are you Morino Kazeko?"

Instantly jolting awake at the mention of her name, she nodded feverishly and asked, "Is Takara alright?"

The veterinarian gave Kazeko a comforting smile. "The surgery was a success. She suffered from kidney trauma, but we managed to save her. You should thank Hatake-san. If he hadn't sealed the wound, she would have been in a critical condition from blood loss."

"Thank you so much," Kazeko bowed politely and breathed a sigh of relief. "Can I see her?"

"I'm sorry but she still needs her recovery time. You can visit her this afternoon, though."

At least she could still catch up on some sleep…

After sleeping in until noon, she went out to Kakashi's door to thank him. After ringing his doorbell multiple times, Kazeko gave up and figured that no one was home.

The vet clinic was at peak hour and many were there with their pets. There was the occasional bark, meow and chirp in the room as she entered. Kazeko came face-to-face with a familiar grey-haired jounin who stood in front of her with an orange book in hand.

"Hatake-san," she greeted. "Are you here to see Takara?"

"Yeah," he answered. "She just left."

The kunoichi stared at him in a confused silence. "…huh?"

"Takara-san just left. She was headed for your apartment," Kakashi casually walked past a dazed and motionless Kazeko. "Thanks for the book, by the way. It's a really good read."

After the automatic doors slid shut with his departure, Kazeko was left standing in the middle of the clinic, surrounded by a cacophony of animal sounds.

"But… Takara is a cat…?"

Coming to her senses, Kazeko fumed. _What the hell is he playing at? Is he just fucking with me? Freakin' Copycat, after I've been so nice to him… and I even bought him Jiraiya-sama's books…!_

Storming to the front desk, she slammed her fists onto the counter.

"I demand to see my cat, Takara, who was submitted for an emergency surgery at 4AM today."

The receptionist shrank back, threatened by the angered jounin who was glowering in front of her.

"O-okay, I'll just check here…" the poor girl stammered, rapidly tapping on a keyboard. "Ah, I-I am very sorry, miss, but your cat was already released…"

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Kazeko screamed, throwing up her arms. "Already released? How could she have already been released?! I AM HER CARETAKER, GODDAMMIT."

The receptionist squeaked in fright.

Breathing heavily, she realised that the clinic had quietened. She spun around. Everyone in the clinic was judging her.

"The hell are you all starin' at?" she growled.

The occupants of the entire room recoiled at the staggering amount of killing intent that radiated from Kazeko in unrelenting waves.

Accumulating chakra in her legs, the kunoichi furiously sped out of the veterinary clinic towards her apartment, completely ignoring anyone she accidentally tripped over. Finally arriving at her front door, she forcefully flung it open with a loud bang, causing it to rattle on its hinges. After bursting into her own place, panting, Kazeko discovered that her couch was already occupied by an unfamiliar figure.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS SHIT?!" she shrieked as she realised that the intruder was also wearing her clothes.

"Tsk, Kaze-chan, don't you recognise me? Your brother isn't going to be very happy," the stranger simpered. "I thought you'd come visit me this afternoon."

The woman had sleek, flowing white hair with piercing silver and golden eyes that were all too familiar. She was dressed in one of Kazeko's loose singlets with the Konoha insignia printed on its front and navy shorts, one of the outfits that she usually wore to as pyjamas.

Then it hit her. _No freakin' way._

"T-Takara?" she spluttered, thunderstruck at her human appearance.

"Mmhmm?" the feline-turned-human flashed her a cat-like smile and yawned lazily while Kazeko stood rooted on the spot, mouth agape.

Holy shit, Ibiki was fucking his cat all along.


	3. of a wilful drunken fist

**A/N: **More Asuma screen time and Kakashi's POV in this chapter. Also, a huuuge shift in tone. I'm curious as to your thoughts on Kazeko's relationship with him (and her schoolgirl crush, haha). You'll get to know their back-story in another chapter.

And before you even ask, _no, there will not be a love triangle_. This fic is not like shoujo. This is more along the lines of a combination of seinen and josei. I'm pretty resolute that the rating will go up to M in future chapters but it will remain as T for now.

* * *

**Gain**

**Chapter III.  
****of a Wilful Drunken Fist**

* * *

"I have to apologise to Ibiki-kun," Takara sighed.

Kazeko almost gagged at the title she used for her brother before regaining her composure.

"Hey, are you—?"

Before she could continue, Takara gave her a stern look that pierced daggers straight through the fibres of her inner soul, instantly shutting her up.

_Can she read minds? So scary…_

"My name is Nekokawa Takara. I have only recently come to Konoha and I specialise in mind penetration," she formally briefed. "As such, I am useful in regards to acquiring information and am naturally in the interrogation force."

Ah, so that was how she knew Ibiki. Kazeko figured they were dating and just wanted to keep it under wraps but she could not figure out for the life of her why Ibiki had to send Takara as a cat to her. There had to be more to her presence than merely being Ibiki's girlfriend. This situation was just too bizarre for her to fully comprehend.

"That is classified."

Kazeko raised an eyebrow. "Why did Ibiki ask me to take care of you?"

"That is also classified," said Takara in a singsong manner.

Although she was incredibly confused and frustrated, she knew not to inquire further, having had experience with Zuru being in ANBU. Still, she could not help but suspect that something deeper was going on and somehow, she was involved… Kazeko frowned in apprehension.

She would just have to wait for things to unfold.

Takara fiddled with a strand of her snowy hair and Kazeko noticed its stark contrast to her own jet black locks.

"So," the mind reader continued. "I'm assuming that taking care of a cat the next time you go on a mission would be troublesome to you. It's almost been a week since you've last accepted one. Are you taking a break or something?"

"Err, yeah… something like that…" Kazeko mumbled, subconsciously reaching over her shoulder to touch her newest scar.

Takara narrowed her eyes. "Well, you'd better get on with it," In an instant, her previously confident demeanour shattered and was replaced by a look of slight embarrassment. "Erm, also, by any chance… do you have any milk?"

* * *

She held the cigarette in-between her lips and leaned in towards Asuma's offered light. Breathing in a miasma of smoke, she let it pool in her throat to savour the taste of tobacco before exhaling again. Kazeko never allowed for it to become a habit but she found that a smoke and a nice chat between friends calmed her nerves during stressful times.

"You're a bad influence on me," she said, smiling.

Asuma chuckled and lit up a cancer stick of his own. "So, what's got you to turn up at my place and ask for a smoke all of a sudden?"

"Oh, you know, the usual," the kunoichi drawled wryly, collapsing onto the couch from her sitting position. "My brother's cat turned out to be human and I suspect that I'm somehow involved in this mysterious, dark plot that nobody cared to inform me about."

The cigarette dangled loosely from her fingers. She took another puff.

Asuma stared at her incredulously. "What the hell?"

"Yeah, my reaction exactly," she muttered, looking at him upside-down from her lying position. "Apparently, the little kitty's in the T&I force with Ibiki and can literally read minds… an invasion of privacy, more like."

"They're obviously fucking each other," he said bluntly.

"No shit," Kazeko snorted, taking a particularly long drag from her cigarette after sitting up again. "But yeah, she answered all of my questions with this bullshit, 'That's classified,'" she mimicked Takara in a high-pitched voice, tapping ashes onto a cigarette tray on the coffee table.

"Huh. Pretty intriguing."

The apartment air was filled with the heady smell of tobacco smoke. Kazeko stubbed out her cigarette which had already reached the filter and sighed, hugging her knees.

"Hey, Asuma..." she murmured, head bowed. "Do you ever wonder if it's worth it all? Being a shinobi?"

It was a question that had bothered her for some time now. It was what Kazeko would ask herself while she lay awake on sleepless nights while tracing the numerous scars on her stomach, the faint lines that would mar her for life. One of the many sacrifices made to serve her country. She would think about Higure-sensei and smell his aftershave, hear his laugh. She would try to imagine the look on his face in the exact moment when he was killed in action, leaving behind a wife, his family and them… what was the point of it all?

"Yes," Asuma answered solemnly. "But then I remember something the old man told me… everyone has a 'King' to protect. It's a shogi metaphor."

Kazeko quirked a smile. "Who's your King?"

"I haven't figured that out yet," he confessed, snuffing out his cigarette. "I guess one should typically say Konoha but… there's more to it than that."

A silence followed as guilt pitted itself in her stomach.

"I'd say that my King would be my friends and family," she said slowly. "Right now, I'd be willing to trade several innocent lives for the single life of Higure-sensei. That must make me a horrible shinobi."

Kazeko trailed off in a whisper and buried her face in her hands, body shaking from suppressing the sobs that rose up in her throat.

"No. That just makes you human."

She looked up at Asuma, tears running freely down her cheeks. "He didn't have to die," she choked out. "He shouldn't have left us all behind…"

Seeing her break down, he tentatively wound an arm around her shoulders and she clung onto him, crying into his shirt.

They stayed in the same position for a while, with Asuma consolingly stroking her hair, wordless as Kazeko held onto him like a lifeline.

"You've got a different type of Will," he said. "The Will to keep going, to protect the ones you love. The Will of Wind, I guess."

She laughed at the punning of her name and nature transformation affinity, wiping away her last stray tears. "I was born into the wrong village. Should've been a Suna kunoichi."

"Yeah," Asuma grinned. "If you enjoy getting sand up your—"

"I can think of two ways in which you can finish that sentence and I don't want to think about either of them." With a watery smile tugging on the corners of her mouth, Kazeko hid her face in his tear-stained shirt and mumbled, "I missed you like a bitch when you left."

She was talking about his dispute with his father which led to his joining of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. When he thought that the Fire Daimyo was his King over his father, the Hokage. When he left Konoha behind.

"Kazeko…"

"Promise that you won't ever die on me," she stared him in the eye vehemently.

"You know that I can't—"

"Just do it. Please."

Sighing and gently squeezing her hand, Asuma said, "I promise."

* * *

Kakashi was lying on his bed—still fully clothed and with no box of tissues in convenient reach—peacefully reading his gifted copy of _Icha Icha Paradise_ when he heard a violent crash next door, followed by gratuitous cursing. Rolling his eyes, he continued to dig into the delicious dialogue that the orange novel presented him with, only to be disturbed by the sounds of what seemed to be an enraged scream before the smashing of glass.

Now slightly disconcerted, the Copy Ninja pocketed his book and went outside to Kazeko's door. Before knocking, he hesitated, not knowing what he was getting himself into. It had been a long day. He'd had a briefing which lasted for four hours due to the Sandaime being an anal-retentive old geezer which only furthered Kakashi's consideration of hanging up his ANBU mask and calling it a quits for a lifetime.

Despite his behaviour and outward appearance, Kakashi did possess the decency to be concerned for his neighbour's welfare. He knocked on the door.

"Is everything alright in there?" he asked.

The door immediately swung open and Kakashi was met with Kazeko's bleary-eyed face.

"Hatake-san," she slurred, using a bloodied hand to support herself. "What a freakin' surprise."

It was clear that Kazeko was inebriated as she precariously swayed and slumped further downwards on the doorframe. The unpleasant reeking of alcohol reached Kakashi's nostrils and he grimaced. It was only two in the afternoon, for god's sake and she was drunk at this early hour?

"You're hurt."

"What, this?" She held up a mangled hand that contained glass shards embedded in its flesh. "This ain't nothin' but a tiny little scratch."

"Do you have any tweezers?"

Kazeko blinked slowly, processing his question in what must have been a very impaired mind of hers before turning to retrieve a pair of them.

Avoiding the broken glass on the floor, Kakashi stepped into her apartment and surveyed the place. It was in the exact same format as his own studio apartment, albeit her interior decor consisted of a lot more personal photographs adorning the walls and cutesy strings of paper lanterns and fairy lights that were hung unevenly across the ceiling.

How… quaint.

Kazeko returned with her pair of tweezers, holding them out to him while Kakashi directed her towards the dining table and sat her down. He found a rubbish bin in the kitchen area and placed it next to their chairs. Grabbing a fistful of tissues and placing them under a running tap, he cleaned the excess blood before going to work on her hand.

"Why're you here?" the kunoichi mumbled, not even flinching as a shard of glass was being pulled out of her flesh.

Kakashi deduced that the alcohol numbed her to the pain but that did not deter him from removing the foreign objects as gently and carefully as possible to avoid any further damage.

"I heard something break and was concerned," he said. "So I went to check up on you and then I find you in no proper state to remove the pieces of glass stuck in your hand. I've got some sense of decency, you know."

Dropping the glass in the bin, he took Kazeko's hand to steady it before settling the tweezers around another stray piece.

"What happened?"

She looked away. "I held my glass too hard."

Kakashi didn't press further. They sat in silence until he had removed all traces of glass from her hand.  
"Mystical palm technique," the underside of his hand illuminated with green, healing Kazeko's wounds.

"Thanks," she said, clenching and unclenching before wriggling her fingers to test her hand.

Wobbily standing up, Kazeko began to head for the front door.

He grabbed her arm. "What do you think you're doing?"

The Copy Nin wondered how the hell she made jounin with her utter recklessness. He also wondered what the hell possessed him to come over here and why the hell he should even care about his idiot of a neighbour.

She roughly shook away his grasp and growled. "I promised to see Kitsune today."

_Kitsune…?_

Kazeko disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves and Kakashi swore. He simply could not leave a drunken, idiotic jounin to wander out into public and possibly besmirch the reputation of shinobi. Body flickering after her, he reached the marketplace close to their apartment complex. The everyday mood was disturbed by the sounds of civilians' cries and heated combat of which none other than Morino Kazeko had managed to get herself tangled up in.

It was two against one but she was holding her own incredibly well, especially under the effects of alcohol. It hardly seemed to be affecting her fighting ability as she swiftly dodged a fist aimed at her face. In a blur, Kakashi could just visibly catch her hand movements forming a series of seals before landing a blow with an open hand on her opponent's arm and agilely kicking the other attacker in the chest.

Gashes tore open in the areas where Kazeko had struck, making both perpetrators roar in pain as blood spurted from their wounds. Kakashi's eyes widened.

She was exerting wind chakra from her attacks, utilising her limbs as figurative blades. It was clear to him that this kunoichi had mastered wind release to such a degree that she could effectively channel wind chakra without the aid of a physical weapon.

It was over all too frighteningly quickly.

The men were screaming now, clutching at their heads as they fell to the ground, blood running down their nostrils before their bodies began to convulse. Onlookers gasped in horror at the gruesome sight and Kazeko merely gaped, shocked into motionlessness. The shuddering soon stilled and the bodies lay lifeless, devoid of any chakra signals which seemed to be so casually snuffed out.

The shinobi cautiously approached the kunoichi. She stared at him with a numbness that was carpeted over her expression and with glassy eyes, uncertain of the appropriate emotional response to her current situation. Kakashi was sure that he wore the same face underneath his mask.

"I didn't do it. They just suddenly… died."

Kazeko doubled over and vomited.

"Shit," she gasped, straightening up. "I'm gonna have one hell of a hangover."

"Are you even of age?"

"Less than a year off. 'Sif anybody cares, anyway. 'Specially since I'm jounin."

"You're in no state to see the Hokage," he said, cringing as he watched her suppress the urge to retch again.

"Dammit!" Kazeko cursed. "What a freakin' mess on my hands."

It certainly was. Kakashi was incredibly suspicious of what had just occurred. Judging by the way they were terminated, it suggested something neurological as the cause of death. Were they being controlled by a jutsu?

But the main question remained: Why and who was targeting Kazeko? What exactly was she involved in?

Kakashi now looked at the drunken and nauseated kunoichi in front of him in a different light. She was a capable fighter but he had yet to see her up against other shinobi. He had misjudged her abilities, although his impression of her character was of slight disapproval. While he didn't know if Kazeko drank often, it was a negative habit to possess and the shinobi wondered if her actions had any relevance to her sensei's death. Kakashi had looked up Karasuno Higure and found out that he was killed in action during a mission that had gone awry two months ago.

His train of thought was interrupted by a pair of ANBU agents.

"Hatake-san," the bear-masked figure greeted him.

A bird-masked nodded at him in acknowledgement of him as an ANBU leader and Kakashi returned the nod.

"We will retrieve the bodies for autopsy," the officer turned to Kazeko. "You must immediately report to the Hokage to be questioned."

They both lifted up the bodies and body flickered away in puffs of smoke. Soon thereafter, the commotion dispersed and Kakashi was left standing with Kazeko in the middle of the street.

She groaned. "I am so fucked."

An idea formed in the Copy Nin's mind. His simple solution would work if Kazeko could remain sufficiently composed in front of the Hokage.

"Wait here," he said.

Racing back to his apartment, Kakashi rummaged through his drawer to find deodorant before filling up a canteen at the kitchen sink. Returning to Kazeko, he thoroughly sprayed her with the aerosol can, eliciting surprised yelps from the assaulted kunoichi.

"Keep yourself hydrated," Kakashi handed her the water container. "and try to appear completely sober when you're talking to the Hokage. You should be fine that way."

"Thank you," she said, blinking owlishly. "Even if you've made me smell like a dude."

"You're welcome."

They began to make their way towards the Hokage Tower with Kazeko taking long swigs from the canteen. Kakashi took out _Icha Icha Paradise_ and began reading.

"Hatake-san!" she exclaimed. "How the hell can you read that in public?!"

He simply shrugged in response.

"Which part are you up to?"

"I've already finished it," he said. "This is my second time reading."

"Wait, you're reading it _again_? That close after you've already finished it once? You're totally obsessed."

Kakashi defended himself. "Hey, it's a good book."

"You're such a pervert."

"I guess that makes you a hypocrite, then."

"I'm not the one reading that shit in public!" Kazeko cried before her features softened. "But… I'm glad that you enjoy it so much."

She smiled at him and he thanked her once again for gifting him the orange novel.

Kakashi placed the book back in his pocket upon reaching the Hokage Tower.

"Remember," he said. "Act sober."

"I'm sobering up, anyway."

They walked past the guards manning the front entrance and into the red domed building. Taking the elevator up to the highest floor, they were met with a curved corridor and a closed door guarded by two ANBU. The guards opened the door to the Hokage's office for them or more likely for Kakashi, out of respect for him as an ANBU squad leader.

"Hatake-san," the agents addressed him in the same way the previous bear-masked ANBU member had.

Kazeko looked at him with a raised eyebrow before entering the office.

The Sandaime sat behind his desk, the vision of an aged shinobi who had seen and experienced far too much for one lifetime. Takara stood up from her chair in the room and turned to face them when she noticed their arrival.

"Hokage-sama," they bowed.

Kazeko spoke first, addressing Takara. "I knew that something was up when you revealed yourself."

She sighed. "You should sit down and prepare yourself for a very long explanation," the cat woman turned to the Sandaime again. "Is Hatake-san allowed to be here?"

"That depends on his choice regarding his own involvement in this matter," the Hokage focused on Kakashi. "Although I will forewarn you that if you do choose to concern yourself with our current situation, you must be prepared for disturbances in your daily life."

All occupants in the room stared expectantly at him, waiting for his answer. The curiosity of not knowing what was going on with Kazeko would agonisingly gnaw at him if he refused to participate in what he guessed would be a long-term mission. He wouldn't doubt that she would be ambushed again and that he'd inevitably be dragged into it if he were to continue to associate himself with the kunoichi. The pay would be pretty good, too.

Confirming his decision, Kakashi said, "I will be prepared."

The Sandaime took a puff from his pipe and smiled. "You both better be seated, then."

* * *

**A/N: **The legal drinking age in Japan is 20, by the way.


End file.
